Business Improves This Weekend at South El Monte's Beleaguered Pho Minh -- Will It Last?

In the past couple of years, while few people outside the community were paying attention, the mini-malls that had stalled in the last real estate crash finally eased into being, the itinerant tamale vendors found their customers outside Vietnamese grocery stores, and the streetscape began to be dominated by pho parlors, cafes specializing in the North Vietnam-style beef noodle soup -- in some areas almost one per block. The omnipresent stink of muffler repair developed overtones of fish sauce and cinnamon. And South El Monte ... was suddenly ground zero for the pho cult, home to 10 or so specialists, even slowing a bit with pho traffic on Saturday mornings.

"One reason for Lam's lack of business becomes apparent when you walk outside his restaurant. Pho Minh is one of 10 noodle houses that dot an otherwise unremarkable span of Garvey Avenue, making it the pho capital of Los Angeles County.

"Got there 12:45, the joint was jumpin'. There were people waiting for a table, the staff couldn't clean tables fast enough, and people kept coming in. [Eric Lam] and the staff were literally running, faces flushed, looking flustered and happy and dazed as they struggled to keep up. When [Lam] took my name, I joked that a lot of people must've read the Times this morning. He smiled, a little uncertainly. 'I didn't expect this,' he said."

Let's hope that this time the crowds stick around. And if business improves to the point that you have to wait for a table, note that Pho Minh isn't the only place in the neighborhood to get your pho. Read Jonathan Gold's original review, "Pho Town: Noodle Stories From South El Monte," for a rundown of some of the other places in L.A.'s pho zone.